The How-To Repository for the Cigar Box Guitar Movement!
How to Build and Play Cigar Box Guitars and other Homemade Instruments
Adding in your own spin on a well-recognized Blues riff can certainly help take your Cigar Box Guitars to a new level and may even present more compelling evidence that whomever is hearing it NEEDS that cigar box guitar in their life.
Shane Speal presents a series of 5 how-to play videos designed to teach you some of the most common blues riffs for your Open G (GDG) Cigar Box Guitar.
The following album is a collection of photos dating back to the beginning of the 20th century. Most of them were taken in Europe around World War 1.
It is certainly a great example of how “Tough Times Make Great Music”.
Open A (AEA) tuning is not as commonly used as other 1-5-1 tunings, but it still has it’s place as an option for those that want to try something different with their Cigar Box Guitars.
This article will give you a good grounding on the type and size of strings you will need for this tuning, as well as some sound bites on what you can expect from each string.
Click Here to learn more about choosing strings for this tuning!
A classic Rock Anthem written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards in 1969, “Honky Tonk Women” was a smash hit by the Rolling Stones that translates very well to an Open G (GDG) Cigar Box Guitar.
Tuning machines are an important part of a cigar box guitar. They help keep the string at the right tension, so that it stays in tune while playing.
In this article, Glenn lays out three key points in an effort to help educate builders on how a tuner works:
Fret markers can add a bit of functional aesthetics to a Cigar Box Guitar and can really stand out.
In this video, Glenn Watt gives you step-by-step instructions on how to install fret markers on your next Fretboard!
Cigar Box Guitars are very versatile instruments and can be utilized to play a wide variety of music styles. Below you will find a link to a tab for one of 2013’s smash hits, “Royals” from New Zealand artist Lorde.
This truly showcases the incredible adaptability of these magnificent instruments.
The process of fretting has long been somewhat of an intimidating prospect. Recently the topic has gained a lot more attention and fretted Cigar Box Guitars are being created in workshops all around the world.
This article by Ben “Gitty” Baker shares some of the basics concepts of fretting and presents some compelling points on what fretting can do for your instruments.
Picking the right string set for your Cigar Box Guitar can sometimes be a bit of a stalling point during the building of a cigar box guitar.
In this knowledge base entry, we cover 3 key points to consider when choosing the right strings for your new guitar:
Click here or the image above to learn more about choosing strings.
Considered one of the precursors for Rock n’ Roll,”This Train” is an old gospel tune that was first recorded in 1922.
This arrangement was transcribed with tablature intended for 4-string Open G (GDGB) Cigar Box Guitar. It also includes the Chords, which can be easily translated to the instrument of your choice.
Click here to learn more and get a FREE PDF copy!
Today’s feature is an exposition written by Ben “Gitty” Baker on the subject of Zero Frets, and what they can do for your Cigar Box guitar.
In this article he answers three key questions; What they are, why they are used and how to install one on your next Cigar Box Guitar.
In this video, Glenn Watt walks you through making your first fretboard for a cigar box guitar. Of course you could always buy one of C. B. Gitty’s Pre-made CBG Fretboards, but why not have a go at making your own? You can find most of the supplies you’ll need here.
Click here or on the photo above to see the video!